Sirach 46

Joshua and Caleb

⁴⁶Joshua son of Nun was mighty in war

and was the successor of Moses in the prophetic office.

He became, as his name implies,

a great savior of God’s^m elect,

to take vengeance on the enemies who rose against them,

so that he might give Israel its inheritance.^*

²How glorious he was when he lifted his hands

and brandished his sword against the cities!^*

³Who before him ever stood so firm?

For he waged the wars of the Lord.

⁴Was it not through him that the sun stood still

and one day became as long as two?^*

⁵He called upon the Most High, the Mighty One,

when enemies pressed him on every side,

and the great Lord answered him

with hailstones of mighty power.^*

⁶He overwhelmed that nation in battle,

and on the slope he destroyed his opponents,

so that the nations might know his armament,

because their battle was againstⁿ the Lord,

for he was a devoted follower of the Mighty One.^*

⁷And in the days of Moses he showed compassion,

he and Caleb son of Jephunneh:

they opposed the congregation,^o

restrained the people from sin,

and stilled their wicked grumbling.^*

⁸And these two alone were spared

out of six hundred thousand infantry,

to lead the people^p into their inheritance,

the land flowing with milk and honey.^*

⁹The Lord gave Caleb strength,

which remained with him in his old age,

so that he went up to the hill country,

and his children obtained it for an inheritance,^*

¹⁰so that all the Israelites might see

how good it is to follow the Lord.

The Judges

¹¹The judges also, with their respective names,

whose hearts did not fall into idolatry

and who did not turn away from the Lord—

may their memory be blessed!^*

¹²May their bones send forth new life from where they lie,

and may the names of those who have been honored

live again in their children!^q*

¹³Samuel was beloved by his Lord;

a prophet of the Lord, he established the kingdom

and anointed rulers over his people.^*

¹⁴By the law of the Lord he judged the congregation,

and the Lord watched over Jacob.

¹⁵By his faithfulness he was proved to be a prophet,

and by his words he became known as a trustworthy seer.^*

¹⁶He called upon the Lord, the Mighty One,

when his enemies pressed him on every side,

and he offered in sacrifice a suckling lamb.^*

¹⁷Then the Lord thundered from heaven

and made his voice heard with a mighty sound;

¹⁸he subdued the leaders of the enemy^r

and all the rulers of the Philistines.

¹⁹Before the time of his eternal sleep,

Samuel^s bore witness before the Lord and his anointed:

“No property, not so much as a pair of shoes,

have I taken from anyone!”

And no one accused him.^*

²⁰Even after he had fallen asleep, he prophesied

and made known to the king his death

and lifted up his voice from the ground

in prophecy, to blot out the lawlessness of the people.^*